Black Dragons
by Claire C. Griffon
Summary: Little is known about the Riders before their line was demolished. Even less is know about the Emperor. But nothing is known about his training, or what caused him to wipe the Riders from the face of his world. At least, nothing, until now. Rated T jus
1. Prologue Golden Dawn

**Title-** Black Dragons

**By- **Claire C. Griffon

**Disclaimer**- Only a few of the names here are mine. Other than those, everything has been created by Mr. Paolini.

**Summary-** There is a reason that Galbatorix is so dark. There is a reason that he bound another dragon to himself after his first one died. There isa reason that no one knows of his childhood and what happened in it. No one, until now.

* * *

**Black Dragons**

**Prologue-** Golden Dawn

A yellowishand completely smooth stone sat alone on a stone pedestal. Other such stones in different hues had been placed around it, each on their own pillar, so they formed the shape of a circle. The bright full moon shone down upon them, bathing them in its whitelight.

Without notice, one of the stones started to vibrate. A tiny hairline fracture appeared in it as it smacked soundly arainst the stone pedestal. Then it settled down again as quickly as it had began to move. A soft hum could be heard throughout the room if one listened hard enough. An elven warrior and guard who was standing watch allowed a ghost of a smile to grace his features before turning them into stone again. It was time. With the speed that only someone as fleet as foot as he could possess, he sped off through his home inorder to reach the king and tell him what had transpired.

As the sun's rays first began to peek over the horizon and turn the world to a place golden with its light, a small group of children awaited eagerly outside of the room. They were a motley mixture of boys and girls, elves and mortals, but there seemed to be more of the former than the latter. When the doors opened, they contained their enthusiam enough to walk past the door and into the softly lit room somberly. Their footfalls changed in their sound as the ground beneath them turned from hard packed dirt to a polished stone floor.

They were led into the hall where the stones were by an elder Rider. "One at a time, walk in front of the egg," he instructed them.

"Yes Argetlam," the children muttered out. Silently, they formed a single line with the ease of those who had done it many times before. One by one, they passed before the yellow egg.

Not once did the egg move, not once did it make a sound. Not once, until a young boy with a mass of black hair and hazel eyes approched it. The humming that had filled the room unto that point suddenly stopped and the egg began to rock back and forth. The others respectfully moved away, leaving the awestruck boy alone with the egg.

With a crack audible only to him, and a flash of light seen by all, the egg opened and a baby dragonet flopped into the boy's hands, as yellow as the surrounding world had been only a few short moments ago. As he gently touched it for the first time, the silver mark of the Riders appeared on his hand. Looking down at the golden dragonet with adoration in his eyes, he smiled softly at it. _Hello little one. My name is Galbatorix_, he told it.

* * *

I know it's short, but I needed to get this out of the way before I could move on with the actual story. A slight warning now. My muse for this story is fickel at best, and will sometimes curse with with writer's block. It took me close on three days to just write this. All I ask is that you please be patient with me. The wait should be well worth it. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Eragon4Life- **Yes, I do know that it was because he wasnot given another Rider that he killed all the Riders. I think that was just the straw that broke the camel's back though. I think more happened that caused him to finally crack and kill everyone. This is what this story's about: all those other straws.

**Disclaimer**- I own nothing here except for Kyra, Allona, and Adrastos. And by the way, Adrastos is Greek for"not inclined to run away"

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Galbatorix! Where are you?_ his young dragon called to him. Picturing where he was sitting, the 16 year-old Rider in training sent it to her. Within a few minuites, his dragon Kyra landed softly beside him. _What's wrong little one? _she asked him.

"Boredom, that's what. Rider Allona won't let me continue with my lessons. She says I'm not ready to go on yet," he sighed out. _And do you feel you're ready?_ she asked. "I don't know. I think I am. I've almost completely mastered everything she's taught me." _Do you know her reasoning behind it? _"I don't think she even has a reason! And if she does, she's not telling me what it is..."

Kyra craned her long golden neck to look at the bright blue sky. Complentating her next sentence, she finally asked, _I can talk to Adrastos if you would like; see if he know anything. _"No," he sighed out. "It's okay. She'll start up again once she's ready. This is probably because I don't have enough patience to be a Rider according to Allona. Most likely, this is a test, and I'd better pass it." _Woulda fly help?_ "Yeah, it would," he replied. As Kyra knelt down beside the pool of blue water they were sitting at to let him better ascend to her back, Galbatorix shook his head. "Don't bother Kyra. I can't right now anyways. If I'm to learn patience, then I'd best work on meditation." Kyra regarded him thoughtfully. Eventually, she said, _You've grown in the three years we've been together. You're no longer the child I once knew. I...I do not know if this is a good thing or a bad thing._ He returned her thoughtful look. "Me either Kyra," he spoke, "me either." She nodded her huge head and then flew away, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his looming duty as a Rider of Alegaesia.

Eventually, he climbed away from his seat at the edge of the rock pool and the cliff edge and stared at the waterfall that fed the pool. Seeking handholds along its path, he slowly began to ascend it, making his way to the upper edge of it. It was hard going. Many times, he lost his grip from one of the water slicked stones he was using for support and nearly fell back to the earth below. Each time though, he managed to keep a stong enough hold upon the other rock to haul himself back up. When he reached the top, he was drenched with sweat, but was strangely happy. He had finally managed to do what he had aspired to do since he first clapped eyes upon the waterfall as he first entered the Elven capital. Standing at the edge of the cliff he was on, Galbatorix looked about at the surrounding countryside for the first time without a dragon keeping him aloft. As far as eye could see, the land below was emerald with the tops of trees. Scattered about the trees were the few odd sapphire bodies of water. In one, he could periodically see a flash of gold, and knew Kyra was playing in it. He smiled softly. Sometimes he forgot how young she really was by both dragon and human standards.

Turning away from the view and back to the task at hand, he sought out a sun-warmed rock that he could sit upon. There was one next to a part of the river that fed the waterfall. Sitting upon it, the bubbling of the water almost beneath him filled him with its sound. Within moments, he was immersed in it, not paying attention to anything else about him. He could feel the power that lied dormat in it, sleeping at the moment, but ready to spring up at a moment's notice when it needed to. Expanding his awareness from the river to the surrounding enviornment, he slowly became aware of the power that was in everything. His attention always wandered back to the river no matter how hard he fought it though. Giving in to his urges, he spent the next hour or so learning about the river, becoming so engrossed in it that he didn't even realize when another Rider had come up behind him.

Coming back from his meditations, Galbatorix almost fell off the rock he was on when he saw the face of someone he didn't know before him. He almost spoke a few words with which to bind him, but something kept him quiet. The man before him was an elf at the very least. His pointed ears revealed that much. They were still somewhat rounded though as well. That meant that he was also a human. There was only one type of person that looked like that in this place. "Greetings Rider," he spoke.

The young man nodded his reply. "Greetings Rider. I hope I did not disturb your meditations."

"Nay, I was just finishing up." Galbatorix stood from his rock and streched out the muscles that had cramped up from sitting there so long. "Might I ask you your name? I don't feel right continually calling you Rider."

The other man smiled. "I am know as Angra Mainyu, but most simply call me Mainyu. And who might you be, friend Rider?"

"I am Galbatorix, Rider of the Golden Dragon Kyra," he answered.

Mainyu shook his head and sighed. "How dense am I. I forgot to mention that I am the rider of the Green Dragon Chandra."

"Greetings Mainyu," he answered finally. Then, looking around, he didn't see a dragon anywhere nearby. "How did you get up here? Did you climb as I did?"

"No. I used the Ancient language. I was able to control the winds a bit to lift myself up here."

Galbatorix's mouth was wide. "That's... that's amazing! I would never know how to do that!"

Mainyu shrugged. "It's not really all that hard. If you'll wait until after I train with my sword for a bit, I can teach you the words. Intrested?" Galbatorix nodded his head eagerly. "Alright then." He turned away and walked over to an area free of rocks and other such debris. "You're welcome to watch if you want."

Galbatorix took a seat back on his rock and faced the way Mainyu was. Mainyu pulled out his sword from its scabbard and started to seing it around. Before long, the blade had become nothing more than a shining silver arc in the sky. Suddenly, he tossed it up into the air and lept up to catch it. Preforming a backflip as he landed, he kept on spinning it around while sending it from hand to hand. Eventually, Mainyu started to slow up with the speed he was going, and soon stopped altogether. Shaking his brown hair from his eyes, he sheethed his weapon and walked over to Galbatorix.

"That was incredible! Your swordsmenship skills are a force to be rekoned with."

Mainyu laughed loudly. "Thank you. I was taught by the elves for the majority of my life though, so it stands to reason that I hold such skills. If you would like, perhaps we can spar together someday."

Galbatorix nodded after a moment of thought. "Yes. I would like that very much."

Mainyu took up a seat next to the younger Rider. "And now, I believe I mentioned something about teaching you how to control the winds?"

* * *

Any guesses as towho Mainyu is? I'll give you a hint. Look up what his name means. The first one to let me know gets the next chapter dedicated to them! 


End file.
